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Topic: New Plan (Read 5312 times)

bush, i think your plan is ambitious and sounds more like a two year plan to me. i don't think it can't be done, though.in the end, it's your money and time to try it with. if you don't try you'll never know and all the "experienced" advice in the world isn't going to be able to predict the hundreds of variables that come into play.ultimately, i think you're on an ok path. you have a goal and you have a working plan in place to get there. it may take you a year or it may take you three and you'll most likely find your plan evolving as it goes.as far as 15 hives vs. 2 or 3 goes my thoughts are that if they are all in one yard the difference in the time it takes to manage them is going to be getting enough equipment ready for next year more than anything. so your main challenges aside from the day to day management are actually somewhat distant.start your 8 hives and evaluate things 30 days later and decide where to go from there. if it were me i'd try to go into the winter with 8 strong hives plus the nucs and see how it goes. if all that goes well you should be able to split in the spring and have the nucs to make up for any losses.every journey begins with one step. good luck and keep us posted.

close to each other? i've only ever bought one package in my life. i would install them right at sunset and i would think you could be within the same distance that you would set established hives at. someone else may suggest otherwise on the spacing if they know something i don't, though.

I worry about massive drift until the bees feel anchored, especially since I really only have one long hive stand. I also plan on hiving on some cinder blocks, but I wonder if I should set some up on different days. Or maybe just a few hours of difference is needed. Or maybe I should setup half at another site and move them a few days later.

I agree with T-Beek on the spacing. The combination of them being new packages and it being pretty cool yet when you hive them will keep them home until they get locked in to the location. The drifting if it does occur will be during the flow.

If you are referring to me, my hive stand will hold at least four with some space in between each hive. Maybe six if spaced closely. I am not altogether worried about drifting once they are established. I expect that to some degree, but rather i am worried about installing 8 packages in one day and watching as the cloud of bees from shaking 8 packages decides to all sit in one hive.

I will try doing this in the evening and maybe alternating boxes between installation so I get half done. Give them a chance to settle in for an hour or so and do the others. That way I am not shaking bees into boxes right next to each other.

Evening is not a right time to do that. At night bees lay down onto ground and do not want to move. And you have lots to do with 8 hives.

One thing is what you may try is that you open the package. Then put the hive over the box and bees crawl themselves to foundations. And you had ready combs too. It takes time but they move themselves to the warm box.

Evening is not a right time to do that. At night bees lay down onto ground and do not want to move. And you have lots to do with 8 hives.

One thing is what you may try is that you open the package. Then put the hive over the box and bees crawl themselves to foundations. And you had ready combs too. It takes time but they move themselves to the warm box.

I don't believe I have to return the boxes they come in. I could remove the screen from one side, lay them down with the open side up, and hang the queen between the center combs above the package. Does that sound safe? Any chance of the queen chilling or will the bees readily move up?

There are 'many' ways to hive a package. Late afternoon is what I like best.

My personal favorite is; Have your boxes ready (if memory serves you're using all mediums, right?). With mediums, set up 2 with as much drawn comb (or foundation) filling both boxes, leaving no spaces/voids. Place or wedge your queen cage in the bottom (I personally just release my queens but either way is fine) Set your inner cover over the 2 empty (soon to be your brood boxes) boxes with Queen safe inside and leaving the inner cover hole open.

Place the 'opened' package of bees on top of inner cover with the 'hole facing down' toward that queen you released/placed. Put an 'empty' box over the package and cover with hive top. You're done until tomorrow when you simply remover the empty package. Overnight bees will assemble around their queen.

No spraying bees with sugar water, no jarring them to the floor and/or 'dumping' them. They WILL find their queen and will be happy in their new home. That's about the easiest and least destructive/intrusive method I know to hive a package.

GOOD LUCK!

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"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

There are 'many' ways to hive a package. Late afternoon is what I like best.

My personal favorite is; Have your boxes ready (if memory serves you're using all mediums, right?). With mediums, set up 2 with as much drawn comb (or foundation) filling both boxes, leaving no spaces/voids. Place or wedge your queen cage in the bottom (I personally just release my queens but either way is fine) Set your inner cover over the 2 empty (soon to be your brood boxes) boxes with Queen safe inside and leaving the inner cover hole open.

Place the 'opened' package of bees on top of inner cover with the 'hole facing down' toward that queen you released/placed. Put an 'empty' box over the package and cover with hive top. You're done until tomorrow when you simply remover the empty package. Overnight bees will assemble around their queen.

this sounds like a good plan. ^^^^ i'd be careful about releasing the queen unless the bees had been in the package for maybe 3 days.

No spraying bees with sugar water, no jarring them to the floor and/or 'dumping' them. They WILL find their queen and will be happy in their new home. That's about the easiest and least destructive/intrusive method I know to hive a package.

T-Beek's method is what I've used the last two years and it really does work well. The only thing I do differently is I dump some of the bees over the queen before I put the inner cover on to keep her warm. You do have to shake them to the bottom of the box anyway to get the can and queen out.